


The Lies of Beatrix Potter

by YourFavoriteRobot



Series: The Continuing Adventures of Fivebot [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Classic Who, Fifth Doctor Era, M/M, Original Character(s), Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-31
Updated: 2011-03-31
Packaged: 2017-10-22 01:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/232403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourFavoriteRobot/pseuds/YourFavoriteRobot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>More robot parenting. Now with more soft toy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lies of Beatrix Potter

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [](http://tula-peiwa.livejournal.com/profile)[**tula_peiwa**](http://tula-peiwa.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sm47.livejournal.com/profile)[**sm47**](http://sm47.livejournal.com/) for helping me build Five-bot.

“Master? Why do I have spots?” The Master continued monitoring the data on the screen and answered without turning to face the robot that lay on the diagnostic table.

"They are freckles, a skin discolouration found on organic life forms. They are clusters of concentrated melanin. You have them because the Doctor has them; you look the same as him." Five lifted up his sheet and looked down at the speckling over his chest and arms.

"Why do I look like the Doctor?" The Master stilled for a moment then crossed the room to another terminal, still not letting himself look at Five.

"You should be happy to look like the Doctor. He has a most pleasing form." He answered dismissively. This seemed to satisfy Five for the moment and he pulled the sheet back up around himself after another quick glance down at his body.

"Why does the Doctor have freckles?"

"Five, it's time to be quite now." The robot gave a pout that was far too familiar to one the Master knew and snuggled down under the sheet. The Master tapped away at the screen looking at the new connections in the artificial mind, monitoring them for integrity and capability. A flash in the motor areas and a rustling of the covers told him that Five was squirming restlessly on the table behind him. For a moment he wondered what exactly in his initial programming caused him to be unable to stay still for very long; it seemed an impractical quality... but then he considered the Doctor’s sprinting around and rocking on his feet, and realised the fidgeting was likely the fault of the imprint.

“What is it, Five?” he asked without turning, the flashes were distracting as was thinking about the Doctor fidgeting.

“Nothing...” he answered, a bit dejected.

“Come now, you have no capacity for psychic communications, so if you desire something I'm afraid you are simply going to have to ask for it.” The Master finally gave Five his full attention. He walked over to the side of the table and looked him in the eyes. Five sat up, clutching the edge covers in hands nervously.

“If I am very good and I stay very still for my scans... can I have something?” Five peered up at him entreatingly.

“That largely depends on what it is, my dear.”

“I want a kitten.”

“Ah.” He turned back to his work immediately. The Master was forced to wonder where he had picked up such a notion of reward for performance. He made a mental note to better monitor his information input.

“I read about one in one of the books you gave me.” Five continued speaking to the Master’s back, “His name was Tom and he had a coat, it wasn’t like my coat or your coat, it was blue and smaller. He had sisters and a mother who scolded him. Like you sometimes scold me when I move around to much during my scans, and I liked him very much, and I want one. Master, can I have one, please?”

The Master sighed and returned to Five’s side, placing a hand over one of his.

“I don’t think that would be very wise, there is a certain harmony within the ship as it is and though I am somewhat fond of the creatures I don’t think having one aboard would be in our best interest.”

“Oh.”

“And you do know that real cats can not talk, nor do they suffer being put in coats.”

“I know, he got it all muddy in the book... You are right. I’m sorry, Master.” He still looked a bit heartsbroken but laid still like a good bot for the rest of his scans.

Later that day, Five sat on the floor in the library looking through a book of English fairy stories. Ms. Potter’s books were now something of a sore spot, so he had pushed those to the far edge of the pile that surrounded him.

The Master walked in and stood in front of him. “How are you finding the improvements to your visual data assimilation software?” Five looked up and smiled.

“Oh, very good. I can remember things much better than when you do the thing with all the cords. I really like reading. This one has pretty pictures.” He held up the book to show the Master.

“That it does, my dear. Now, put that aside for a moment. I have something for you.” Five’s eyes became wide as he looked up expectantly.

“What is it?”

“Because you were very good, I got you something; it’s not a kitten but I think it should serve for your intended purposes.” The Master took the hand that had been concealed behind his back and with it presented Five with a beige teddy bear in a miniature version of the jumper that both he and the Doctor wore.

“It’s me with funny ears!” Five shouted out with joy as he took the thing and cuddled it to his chest. He then looked up suddenly as if just realising the source of his new cuddly friend. He hopped up quickly and threw his arms around the Master, bear still in hand. “Thank you Master, thank you so, so much.”

The Master patted Five on the back and smiled. “Just continue to behave during your maintenance and you may think nothing of it.”

“I will, Master, I promise.”

After a moment he spoke again.

“Master?”

“Yes, my dear?”

“Where did you get a bear that looks like me?”

The Master looked acutely embarrassed for a moment, recalling that one night out with the Rani that ended with him abandoned and black out drunk on planet Build-a-Bear.

“It was something the TARDIS constructed just for you, dear.”

He blinked and looked up a bit. “Thank you, TARDIS,” he said brightly, then skipped off to find a cosy spot to read stories to his new friend.


End file.
